Mushin
}} Mushin (無心, "No Mind") is an ascended state of consciousness achieved through mastery. It is a level reached by martial artists at a certain point of their training in which they are able to set aside emotions, thoughts, and desires in order to fight in an entirely natural manner; adapting and responding to not only the opponent but also to their surroundings without the need for thought nor intention. Without question, it demands perfection of the realm of Hakuda for one to simply awaken the state, though requires refining of in order to be completed properly. When invoked in its incomplete form, the technique harbors exploitable flaws, but it is said that mastering the Mushin will allow for a Hakudaka to overcome any threat. Overview As its name suggests, Mushin is a state of no-mindedness. It refers to a heart completely untethered by thoughts or concerns, allowing them to act without hesitation and move in such a way that it becomes a natural response to any situation. One essentially empties their heart so as to accept whatever comes their way, though according to , it cannot be done without first developing a strong heart; otherwise, one risks losing themselves to the current of the world or even their opponent's own flow. The body moves in a way that is natural to the situation and acts on opportunities based on the Hakudaka's own intuition without needing to rely on forethought nor on the hesitation that arises from emotions such as anger or fear. By always existing in this flowing state of no-mindedness, emptying the heart so that it remains open to everything, the Hakudaka can respond to any threat without needing to make a plan or even consider what action is needed, for their body has acted. It can be said that Mushin is the culmination of mastering Taijutsu and Zanshin to their ultimate level, producing a natural method of striking and responding based on mastered movement of the body and control of the mind. This is why a nigh perfection of is necessary to invoke Mushin. Because the aspects of self are always working in concert, the body itself can be seen as a mind all its own, making judgments by itself in the same way the martial artist would have done with their own mind, yet without needing for the need of the sensations of the body traveling all the way to the mind to make those judgments. When such a phenomena is possible, it enables the martial artist to theoretically bypass their own limits and continuously evolve without end. There are two significant indications that come with the awakening of Mushin. The first appears to be a paleness of the eyes. It is shown that most users of Mushin possess a very deep glare, one that is neither calm nor fierce, and is often described as off-putting and even frightening. This is often characterized by a lightening of their usual eye color, emphasizing the center pupil. The second indication is their . It clings to the body like a flame, emitting tremendous strength yet behaves frighteningly calm. Similar to , the Mushin is generally attained through an awakening. After a martial artist achieves the sufficient level of Kiai needed to invoke Mushin, it is typically achieved during an instance of nearing death during training; whether in combat or through meditation, in which one willingly dives into the abyss between life and death in order to push through their limits as a living entity. remarked once that it is like picturing the flow of souls as a river and diving into the water. One must manage to 'swim' down that 'river' by not resisting its flow but by moving together with it, thus emptying themselves as individuals in order to accept the river's flow. In the same sense, the martial artist opens themselves to the "flow of the opponent" during battle, responding in this natural way just like swimming down a river by going with the current. Mushin reinforces the conflict in principle shared between Katsujinken and Satsujinken philosophies. While Satsujinken reveres the Mushin as proof of being able to fight by casting aside the heart in order to achieve great power, the Katsujinken boast that only a strong heart capable of accepting the opponent's heart and their emotions without losing itself to darkness is able to truly make use of the Mushin state. Because of this disagreement, what exactly constitutes Mushin and whether or not one has truly reached this level is often left to the interpretation of the individual. Properties "Self-Movement" (身勝手, Migatte; meaning "the body moving of its own accord") is a direct consequence of mastering the Mushin state. It is the pinnacle of , enabling the Hakuda master to move their body and respond to their opponent without needing to think. Every move they make is based on natural intuition, making it impossible for an opponent to predict their moves because there is no intention coming off of them to use in making those predictions. Thus, sensing the user when they move in to attack or defend becomes nigh impossible. When seen through the eyes of those unaware of the skill or incapable of it, the movements of a Mushin user can feel almost unreal, despite them being clearly witnessed. It is through such a state that even when one is outmatched by an opponent far greater than them, it grants the martial artist a chance to catch up to them during battle, possibly even to the point of overcoming that difference in power. Because they are adapting to the opponent with every move they make, fighting someone on an initially higher level than them means that their own movements will continuously improve as the fight continues. Known Practitioners Behind the Scenes Although Mushin is an actual concept in martial arts, this article was inspired by both the Ryūsui Seikūken from the manga series, History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi, as well as the Ultra Instinct state from Dragon Ball Super.